What Would You Do? Self-Storage Auction Dilemmas

The following is part of an exciting 2013 content series titled "What Would You Do?" ISS asked managers and owners how they would react in difficult situations that can arise at any facility. We then asked experts to advise on their recommended course of action. To see all articles and slideshows in the series, enter code WWYD13 in the search box at insideselfstorage.com. The complete sequence will roll out over several weeks and be available in full by March 10, 2013.

Are self-storage auctions a cause of some anxiety for you? Reality TV shows such as "Storage Wars" have muddied the legal water for some self-storage operators by dispersing inaccurate information about the business. Now more than ever, it's imperative that lien sales are handled correctly and to the letter of a state's laws. There are so many facets to the process, from notifications and advertisements to the execution on auction day, that operators can feel nervous about proceeding.

The lien sale itself can be a source of worry, as so many challenging and unexpected things can happen. Do you know what to do in the face of a difficult auction scenario? Is what you would do the same as what you should do?

Inside Self-Storage recently reached out to in-the-field operators to learn how they would proceed in a couple of specific but common lien-sale situations that could happen at any facility. They were asked, "What would you do if ..."

A customer showed up to bid on his own items at auction?

An auction attendee was unhappy with his purchase?

The answers were provided by members of Self-Storage Talk (SST), the industry's largest online community. We then asked two of the industry's top attorneys to tell us what operators should do in each case. Our well-known experts are Jeffrey Greenberger, a partner in the Cincinnati-based law firm of Katz, Greenberger & Norton LLP, and Scott Zucker a partner in the Atlanta-based law firm Weissmann Zucker Euster Morochnik, P.C.

What would you do if a customer showed up to bid on his own items at auction?

SST junior member SafariLori, who prefers not to reveal her identity, says she doesn't allow customers to bid on their own units, and everyone who attends a sale has to sign a legal form saying they are not there on behalf of the delinquent renter. Allowing tenants to bid on their own unit is an incentive to not pay their rent, she says, to try to buy it back for cents on the dollar instead of satisfying the lien.

Jerry Hughes (SST member SMSSId), owner and manager of Save Most Self Storage in Caldwell, Idaho, responds by saying he used to restrict delinquent tenants from coming to the auction until his attorney informed him that the state lien law specifies “public sale.” He also points out it's difficult to know if a bidder is a friend of the tenant.

"We welcome all bidders. The tenant just has to realize he/she will be bidding against a pro," Hughes writes. "The regulars are quick to realize it’s a tenant unit and will usually bid them way up." He also points out that his legal notice includes the following to help address some of the problems, though he's never had to exercise the right: "Seller reserves the right to reject bids less than amount owed."

Richard and Beverly Haessler (RichardandBeverly), resident managers of Park Inn Storage in Odessa, Texas, agree, saying anyone can bid on a unit at his facility. It's state law. "I really don't care who buys it, but it must be empty in the allotted time or the contents reverts to the facility. If the tenant had called, I probably would have worked out a deal, so it's the same thing," Richard Haessler says.

Senior SST member MZC&D, who wishes to remain anonymous, says that if the tenant comes to try and buy his unit back, he as the facility operator is permitted to bid on the unit and bring the price up to what the tenant owed or what he sees as a reasonable amount to accept.

What SHOULD you do?

Greenberger: With very few exceptions, the state statutes either require you to allow the tenant to bid at sale or are silent on the topic, implying that he's allowed to bid. But the tenant showing up at his own auction is perhaps one of the best results of an otherwise horrible situation.

If a tenant shows up to bid on his own stuff, you should find every way possible to get those goods back to him, even if he doesn’t have all or any of the money owed, and even if you know the unit would sell for a lot more at auction. Others disagree, but my rationale is that when a wrongful-sale lawsuit is filed, all the tenant can generally seek is money damages.

Money damages arise from loss of use of the property that was stored in the unit, for example, sentimental or emotional items or others of personal value to the tenant. If the tenant ends up with his property back in his hands, even on the date of sale, there's really no monetary damage he can claim to suffer, and thus, no potential for a wrongful-sale and disposal lawsuit.

Every time you sell a unit, no matter how good you are, you're rolling the dice and could face a wrongful-sale lawsuit. Regardless of the outcome of the suit, you lose because you're spending time and money to defend yourself. If there's no sale, it's much more difficult for the tenant to sue.